Explore! Alexandria, new adventures in an old town.

The people of Alexandria seemingly have conspired to keep visitors in and around Old Town instead of that capital city of D.C. a few miles away. Why else would it take more than one visit to take in all the things to do and see in this Northern Virginia city? There’s history, art, shopping, food, tours, tours and more tours.

John Alexander emigrated from Scotland in the mid-1700s and bought the land on the Potomac that would become Alexandria in 1749. His family wasn’t keen on selling the land to merchants who wanted to form a money-making new city, but the offer to name it after the Alexanders sweetened the deal enough. And Alexandria was born.

At its heart is Old Town, a beautiful mix of old and new.

The hub is King Street, which morphs from a residential area to a tourist haunt as you travel east from the Metro station toward the water.

Don’t make the mistake of never leaving King Street, though. The streets radiating out have gorgeous old and restored houses and manicured gardens.

A free trolley will take you up and down King Street, with lots of stops along the way.

While in Old Town, pick your favorite tour.

You can go on history tours, graveyard tours, Christmas tours, culinary tours, bicycle tours.

Anyone who knows me would not be surprised that I chose a culinary walking tour. The tour guide provided a little history and some interesting trivia between visits to locally owned restaurants. I learned a little about the young George Washington, who as a surveyor drew maps of what would become Alexandria, and about the statesman. Mount Vernon, home of George and Martha Washington, is about eight miles away, so you can learn more there about the father of our nation.

The 3½-hour culinary tour had three stops for small- to medium-sized dishes and one for tea and Old Town’s famous, 135-year-old jelly cake. I was relieved to learn it was the recipe that was more than a century old, and not the cake itself.

If you prefer going at your own pace, you can take a self-guided Ask Alex Cell Tour on your cellphone. Just dial (703) 229-8632. You’ll hear the history of 22 sites, primarily in Old Town.

Among the places to visit:

--Gadsby’s Tavern Museum, the site of a late 18th century tavern and hotel. The nation’s early leaders, including Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison and James Monroe, visited here and perhaps quenched their thirst.

--Christ Church, built in 1773 in English Georgian style. Washington and Robert E. Lee, whose boyhood home is in Alexandria, both attended the church. Docents are on hand to show you around.

--The Alexandria Black History Museum, built in 1940 as the public library for the city’s black residents. On display are historical objects, photos and documents from as far back as the 18th century. Alexandria’s tourist office, Ramsay House Visitor Center, also has a brochure that details 23 black history sites.

--Carlyle House Historic Park.

This manor house was finished in 1753 by Scottish merchant John Carlyle. It was a political gathering place for people, including George Washington.

--Friendship Firehouse Museum, built in 1855. Friendship was an apt word because the wooden buildings of the 19th century made the volunteer fire companies valuable friends. The building has antique firefighting equipment on display.

With all that history under your belt, you may be ready for shopping.

A good place to start is the Torpedo Factory Art Center at the foot of King Street.

The building houses dozens of artists’ studios on three floors. You can find pottery, glass, fabric, photography, paintings, jewelry. You can also watch the artists do their thing.

As the name implies, the building was used to make torpedoes. The Navy started building it just after Armistice Day in 1918.

After World War II began, factory workers produced the Mark XIV, a submarine-borne torpedo, and the Mark III aircraft torpedo. The green torpedo in the main hall was made at the factory in 1945.

Alexandria has many good places to eat, and the variety is impressive: Italian, Spanish, Lebanese, Japanese, French, Thai, Indian, Irish and lots of American.

There’s music, too.

The Birchmere is about three miles from Old Town and has hosted artists you may not expect at a 500-seat venue, including Lyle Lovett, Dave Matthews, John Prine, Linda Ronstadt, and k.d. lang. Chaka Khan performed two shows there last month, and Lovett returns with his acoustic band Tuesday and Wednesday. The theater has general admission, so be sure to claim your tickets early.

OK, in the interest of full disclosure, if you want to visit Washington, it’s easy to get there without a car. Metro stations at Braddock Road and King Street take you quickly into the District of Columbia, where you should be able to find more things to do.

Bernadette Kinlaw, (757) 446-2654, bernadette.kinlaw@pilotonline.com